The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7194 p548
20 April 2002

April Council meeting

Document produced to aid BRM debate

The Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has approved a document containing background information designed to help decision-making at this year's branch representatives' meeting.

At its meeting on 9 and 10 April, the Council agreed that the document should be circulated with the list of motions for this year's branch representatives' meeting and published in The Journal (see p549).

Presenting the proposed document to the Council, the PRESIDENT said that it contained background notes intended to help branch representatives to formulate a considered view, recognising the position that the Society had reached.

The SECRETARY AND REGISTRAR said that the document did not set out to be a total answer. It was to set the context of the motion and make sure that, so far as possible, debate was well informed.

CHRISTINE GLOVER said that at the 2001 branch representatives' meeting time had been wasted because of a serious lack of information on the issues raised. The Council was trying to make the debate better, based on sound information.

LINDA STONE said that over the years the Council had tried to give information to the branch representatives' meeting in various ways. It had had the chairmen of standing committees bobbing up and down before the debate; it had had them bobbing up and down at the end of debates; but the fine line it had always tried to follow was that it should give relevant information without trying to dictate the debate. The fact that the Council was not trying to direct the debate should be made clear.

Dr NICOLA GRAY said that it might be useful to consider how other pharmaceutical bodies used that kind of policy-making process. The American Pharmaceutical Association had a different structure. The policy was binding on the council members and what happened was monitored and there was a check that the policies came through. They had a policy statement that was revised and updated constantly. But the APhA was a purely membership organisation and not a regulatory body.

PAT HOARE asked why the Council's background notes were in a separate document from the motions and the proposing branches' explanatory paragraphs.

The SECRETARY AND REGISTRAR replied that it was to make it absolutely clear that the other document was the branches' own.

The PRESIDENT said he wished to draw the discussion to a close. The Council had done something new and did not know what the reaction would be.

Museum acquisitions policy

The Council agreed to adopt a revised acquisitions and disposals policy for the Society's museum, in recognition of the implications of the policy changes made by the Council in 2001.

Among other things, the new policy states that the museum has ceased to collect a full range of material evidence and information relating to the history and practice of pharmacy. It now collects only in areas in which it is deemed to be the only British museum currently holding and regularly updating a systematic collection. These areas are contemporary, recent and historical proprietary and other medicines, Controlled Drugs, and material relating to the Society's own history and work. Collecting will continue to focus on material originating from or used in British.

The new policy is to be reviewed by March 2006 at the latest.

Byelaw amendment

The Council agreed to proceed with seeking a Byelaw amendment to allow implementation of its earlier decision to lower the initial registration fee for new registrants.

The Council was advised that discussions had taken place with the Privy Council regarding reducing the fee for new registrants. The advice was that the Society could charge the lower fee, subject to going through the normal procedure for making the necessary amendments to the Byelaws.

The proposed Byelaw amendment (Official Notice, p554) will also cover the previously agreed changes to the preregistration training fee and the registration examination fee (including the late entry and resit fees), which had not been included in the Byelaw amendments approved by the Privy Council at the end of 2001.

EU directive

The Council was informed that there were anxieties about the impact on public safety issues of a draft European Union directive on the recognition of professional qualifications.

The SECRETARY and REGISTRAR said that the document, which would replace the sectoral directives, was a large one and was currently being analysed. Discussions had taken place with other UK regulators and the Society jointly would be taking advice. The matter had been discussed by the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union and the United Kingdom Inter-Professional Group. A briefing note had been circulated to Council members and comments were welcome.

WALLY DOVE said that the subject had been discussed at a PGEU meeting he had attended the previous day. He felt that more of the documentation presented to the PGEU should be available for the Council. The original document was large, but there was a more concise, targeted format that could increase the level of understanding round the Council table. The document was available. It had been distilled down to a level that all could readily understand.

The SECRETARY AND REGISTRAR said that the PGEU document could be circulated to members of Council.

The PRESIDENT said that the implications for the professions were significant and should not be underestimated.

Council retirements

The President thanked David Allen and Alan Nathan for their contributions over many years as long-standing members of Council. Both have chosen to retire from the Council this year rather than seek re-election this year. The President wished them well in the future.

Queen Mother

At the beginning of the Council meeting on 9 April, the Council stood in silent remembrance of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, whose funeral took place on that day.

The President said that it was fitting to mention that the Queen Mother had had a long-standing relationship with the Society which went back for many years, and it was she who had opened the Society's building some 25 years ago.